High hopes for sunglasses made from cannabis plants – The Scotsman

But not because an international drugs cartel is expanding into Scotland – it’s down to a young entrepreneur and his green design and manufacturing business. Sam Whitten grew up in the village of Broughton in Peeblesshire and studied product design at Glasgow Caledonian University. The 25-year-old has recently started his own firm making handcrafted luxury sunglasses and fashion accessories. He plans to move into jewellery, clothing and even sustainable architecture in the next couple of years. And it’s all made out of cannabis, or hemp – industrial-grade, which won’t get you high. Hemp has been used as a fibre for more than 10,000 years. It is easy to grow, even in poor soil, needing no weedkillers and less water than other plants during cultivation. The crop is considered to be one of the least environmentally damaging and can be made into everything from paper, food, textiles and ropes to green fuels, paints and bioplastics. It was these qualities that inspired Whitten to create the world’s first hemp spectacles and launch his Hemp Eyewear brand.